Fireflies in the Dark
by Melissa Norvell
Summary: ONE SHOT After some training, Jakotsu goes to watch the fireflies and one firefly leads him to someone very special. JakotsuXBankotsu. Please R&R!


Here we go, a little one shoter. This is a Jakotsu/Bankotsu fic. It has a bit of shounen ai, so if your against it, I suggest you run far, far away. The legend explained in this fic is actually an old Japanese legend. I'm the weirdo who does pointless research on little things. Anyway, this is a first for me, though I have done other things involving Jakotsu. I hope you enjoy this little fic of mine. ^_^  
  
Thanks to TailFluffGirl for beta reading it for me.  
  
Japanese Dictionary  
  
Koban wa- Good evening Literally means "Tonight" and may be used after it gets dark.  
  
Hai-yes  
  
Fireflies in the Dark  
  
After a long day of fierce battles, the seven members of the Shinchinin-tai decided to settle down for the night. Each member had been making preparations for the next battle.  
  
Mukotsu sat in a small patch of grass, mixing a fresh batch of poison in a small basin. He stirred it slowly, adding a few small ground leaves to his mixture with every few strokes.  
  
Renkotsu was over by Ginkotsu, tightening his metal jaw, which had come loose in battle. Kyokotsu was munching on a demon he had hunted down in the woods. He had been finishing off the leg portion, munching all too happily.  
  
"Kyokotsu, stop fooling around and help me out!" Renkotsu yelled.  
  
"But Commander Renkotsu, I'm eating." The demon muncher replied.  
  
"You're always eating something! Now move your ass!" Renkotsu retaliated.  
  
"Yes, Commander." Kyokotsu said as he threw down the half finished leg of the demon and slowly walked over to Renkotsu and Ginkotsu.  
  
Mukotsu watched and Suikotsu was sitting a little way off from him, shining his claws and quickly ridding them of blood.  
  
Jakotsu sat up in a tree, looking at the sky. It had turned a dark blue and the moon was full. The sky was aligned with stars. The weather was a little humid that night, there was a pond nearby, so Jakotsu decided he would walk around the pond for a while, while the others were perfecting their fighting skills and making sure everything was working efficiently.  
  
Jakotsu made his way down the tree and turned to go to the pond. He walked past Renkotsu, Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu.  
  
Renkotsu turned around. "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"To walk around." Jakotsu replied. "I'm bored."  
  
"You should be training, like the rest of us."  
  
"I've already done that." Jakotsu pouted.  
  
"Hmpf!" Renkotsu snorted. "When you get defeated in battle, you'll be wishing that you had listened to me."  
  
Jakotsu simply walked away.  
  
"I think Commander Renkotsu's armor must be too tight or something. He seems more grouchy then usual." He muttered to himself.  
  
Jakotsu walked slowly through the grass, taking his time. Occasionally he would look up at the sky, adorned with stars.  
  
Everything looked pale in the moonlight as the sky became darker. A few fireflies began to come out and fly around, lighting the way for the young effeminate boy. Jakotsu stared at the fireflies in amusement. How could such tiny bugs glow so brightly?  
  
As Jakotsu walked along, it seemed that more and more fireflies appeared. Soon, as he neared the water, the sky seemed almost hazy with the tiny lights of the bugs. The dark haired boy stood there, staring at the tiny lights in the sky. A gentle wind swept across the glass like waters, causing them to ripple. His reflection seemed to distort itself in the water for a few moments before returning to it's normal self.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see one little firefly who seemed to glow brighter then the rest. Fascinated by this, the young boy followed the firefly, trying not to loose it, but also trying not to frighten it by getting too close.  
  
The firefly flew through a small opening in some thick underbrush and low hanging trees. Jakotsu slowly followed it, and pushed a few branches aside. When he came through the bushes, he saw Bankotsu.  
  
Bankotsu was standing there with the Banryuu swung over his shoulder, looking at the fireflies. Jakotsu's face lit up, he wasn't alone. He would have someone to enjoy the sights with.  
  
"Leader Bankotsu!" He called out, walking a bit fast over to the leader of the Shinchinin-tai.  
  
"Oi, Jakotsu. Koban wa." Bankotsu smiled slightly.  
  
"Known wa, Bankotsu." Jakotsu returned the friendly smile. "What are you doing out here? I thought you would be back with the other training for battle."  
  
"I'm a little tired of training. Besides, I trained already, and I went down here and trained until the fireflies came out." Bankotsu gestured to a fallen tree that he had cut with the Banryuu.  
  
"Ah.." Jakotsu turned back to the fireflies. "There sure are a lot of fireflies out tonight."  
  
"As far as the eyes can see." Bankotsu added. " The reflections on the water makes it look like there are twice as many."  
  
"Yeah...Bankotsu?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did you see one that was brighter then the others?"  
  
Bankotsu turned to the tall man standing beside him. He looked around for any fireflies that looked unusual. He saw one that was flying over by itself.  
  
"Like that?" He asked.  
  
"That's the one." Jakotsu told the tanned figure. "I followed it here."  
  
"That reminds of an old legend I heard about fireflies. My mother told me it right before she died." Bankotsu told the dark haired boy.  
  
"Could you tell me about it?" Jakotsu asked.  
  
"Sure." Bankotsu sat in the grass, laying the Banryuu beside of him. Jakotsu sat beside of him, unusually close.  
  
"Ok." He began. " It goes something like this...."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A young man of Matsue was returning home from a wedding party when he saw, just in front of his house, a firefly. He paused a moment, surprised to see such an insect on a cold winter's night with snow on the ground. While he stood and meditated, the firefly flew toward him, and the young man struck at it with his stick, but the insect flew away and entered the garden adjoining his own.  
  
The next day he called at his neighbor's house, and was about to relate the experience of the previous night when the eldest daughter of the family entered the room, and exclaimed, "I had no idea you were here, and yet a moment ago you were in my mind. Last night I dreamt that I became a firefly. It was all very real and very beautiful, and while I was darting hither and thither I saw you, and flew toward you, intending to tell you that I had learnt to fly, but you thrust me aside with your stick, and the incident still frightens me."  
  
The young man, having heard these words from the lips of his betrothed, held his peace.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The brightly glowing firefly landed on Bankotsu's shoulder.  
  
"Wow," Jakotsu replied, after listening intently to the old tale. The paused for a moment and the both of them sat in silence, watching the fireflies and listening to the night sounds.  
  
"If I came to visit you as a firefly, would you smack me away?" Jakotsu asked.  
  
"Well, if I knew it was you I wouldn't, " Bankotsu replied. "I don't think I would anyway. Fireflies are so beautiful."  
  
"Hai, they are." Jakotsu put his head on Bankotsu's shoulder as they sat there in silence once more. All that could be heard was the soft blowing winds and chirping of the crickets.  
  
"Bankotsu, I think that firefly on your shoulder is very special." Jakotsu said, closing his eyes, his head still resting on Bankotsu's shoulder.  
  
"What do you mean by that, Jakotsu?" Bankotsu turned, a slight blush stained his cheeks.  
  
"It led me to you. Perhaps the fireflies symbolize love. I mean it was at the marriage and it was the one the man betrothed." Jakotsu said.  
  
"Perhaps." Bankotsu told the young man. He put his arm around Jakotsu and the two sat there, gazing at the fireflies as their tiny lights lit up the dark sky, tiny beacons for all to see.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for me. Just thought everyone would like a little Bankotsu/Jakotsu moment. I'm working on another fic about them. I should have it up in a few. ( A few what is the question...Days? Months? Years? Who knows...) I'm trying to lower my current fics so I can. T_T  
  
Anyway it's R&R time! Go now before it's too late! 


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